Once in a Blue Moon
by Scribe426
Summary: "Once in a blue moon" translates roughly to "almost never". The probability of the actual event? 3%. A blue moon isn't the only thing with that kind of probability, however...though the blue moon would probably be preferred. "...This is a supply closet." "Ah. So it is." "Why are we in a supply closet?" "I didn't mean to bring you to a supply closet..."
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer**: I don't own KnB. Just Ayane.

* * *

><p><strong>Prologue—I Think I Understand Now<strong>

He didn't know when he first noticed it. All he knew was that when the ball fell through the net for what felt like the hundredth time that day, he felt it vanish. And then he felt it return before the ball even hit the ground. It was strange, to be aware of something so intangible. Before long, it was all he could think about. But he didn't let it show. He just continued to play even as his mind raced.

Someone was watching him. He didn't know whom. He hadn't even dared to look towards them yet. But he could feel their gaze. It wasn't threatening or anything of the sort. It was powerful, though. It felt like it was seeing something far beyond just him on the court. It was unsettling and made the hairs on the back of his neck rise.

The ball hit the rim of the net with a clang, breaking him out of whatever trance he had been in. For a moment, he stared at it in disbelief. He had just missed the basket. A growl slipped out unconsciously as he whirled around, fully intending to give the cause of such a mistake a piece of his mind. He saw a single girl standing just outside the courts, her eyes locked on the ball. After a brief second her gaze slid to him, the unsettling feeling returning. Blue clashed with blue as they stared at each other in silence.

"You were smiling…" she said quietly. Her words made him jump slightly. A scowl appeared on his face and his glare intensified.

"What do you want?" he demanded. The girl started as well, blinking her eyes quickly. They widened in shock as they focused on him, as if she was seeing him for the first time. "Well? You must want something, since you were staring at me for so long."

"I-I was?" the girl squeaked, a blush rising on her pale cheeks. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to! I just…" She trailed off suddenly, biting her lip.

He continued to watch her. When it became obvious she wasn't going to say anything more, his eyes darted to the ground. The ball still sat there, forgotten during their staring contest. Without thinking he picked it up. The second he did, he could feel her staring again. He slowly turned his head towards her. That blue gaze, so different from his own, was locked on the orange ball he held in his hands. He glanced between the two for a moment before holding it out towards her.

"Do you want to play?" he asked.

"I…" the girl said uncertainly, hesitating. She looked at him again. "Do you like playing?"

"Huh? Of course," he replied immediately. She frowned slightly.

"Why?" she asked.

"Why?" he repeated, confused. He tried to think of a reason. Failing, he let out an exasperated sigh. "Who cares why? I just do. Now do you want to play or not?"

"…I don't know how," the girl finally mumbled, the blush returning to her face. Her gaze darted away from his and her fingers rose to fiddle with the end of one of her pigtails.

"Then I'll teach you," he said in irritation. "So?"

"Alright then," she said. She walked onto the court until she was right in front of him. He had to look down a bit to maintain eye contact with her now. "So how do you play?"

* * *

><p>"No!" she cried out as the ball bounced off the rim uselessly.<p>

"Ha! I win again!" he crowed. He smirked at her triumphantly and she crossed her arms and pouted.

"No fair…" she huffed.

He ignored the comment as picked up the ball yet again. It was only as he leaned down that the thought crossed his mind. How long had the two of them been playing together anyway? He straightened and glanced at the sky. It was already turning orange with the fading sunlight, proof of the amount of time they had spent together. He thought on that for a moment before shrugging. It wasn't too late yet. He could stay out a little longer. He tossed the ball towards her. The girl raised her hands automatically and caught the ball with surprising ease.

"So you really never played before?" he asked her, suddenly curious. Basketball was so central to his own life that he found it strange that there was someone that had never played before.

"No, never," the girl replied, shaking her head. She stared at the ball in her hands, a small smile playing her lips. "But my brother plays."

"Oh?" he said with raised eyebrows. "Is he any good?"

"No," the girl sighed. "But he works so hard. He's almost always practicing. He wants to join the basketball club in middle school. I didn't know why. But after today, playing with you…I think I understand now."

"Huh?" he managed, blinking. Whatever she was saying, it didn't make too much sense to him.

"That smile," the girl said, gifting him with a wide smile of her own. "You're always smiling while you play. If my brother feels as happy as you do while he plays, then I understand why he loves it so much." Her body sank as she lifted the ball in preparation to shoot. The next moment she had straightened and jumped into the air, the ball leaving her hands. The net swished as it fell through. The girl grinned again. "And I think I might too. So thank you."

"Sure," he mumbled, his cheeks feeling hot. He couldn't understand why he was blushing. He snatched the ball off the ground, refusing to look at her anymore. "It's getting late so I should be heading home. Bye!" He started to run, determined to leave the cause of this strange feeling far behind them.

"Oh, bye!" the girl shouted after him, the wind carrying her voice to him. "And thanks for playing with me! Maybe we can do it again someday!"

He didn't stop running until he reached his house, the girl's words repeating over and over in his head. He stood in front of his door, panting. Play with her again? Probably not. He didn't even know her name. And school started in two days, the first day of his first year in middle school. Between that and basketball, because of course he planned on joining the basketball club, he didn't have time to chase after a nameless blue-eyed girl. Ignoring the feeling of disappointment, he opened the door and walked in.

And so the blue-eyed girl was forgotten.

* * *

><p><strong>AN<strong>: I wasn't planning on putting this up so soon, but seeing the results of that little one shot I put up yesterday got me excited. Thanks everyone who read/reviewed/favorited! Speaking of that one shot, it was actually a failed experiment for this story. So even though Ayane is in both, that one shot and this story have nothing to do with one another. Sorry if that disappoints anyone. Anywho, thanks for reading! I'll have the next chapter up soon!


	2. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer**: I don't own KnB. Just Ayane.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 1—Because I <strong>**_am_**** a Girl**

The only sound was the dull roar of the rain. Hundreds of drops hit the ground as they continued to pour from the sky. In contrast, the gym was scarily quiet. Practice had ended almost an hour ago by this point. Yet a few people still remained, all of them standing in the doorway of the gym as they watched the rain.

"I wanna go home," Kise pouted, shifting slightly. No one bothered with a reply to that, but they all agreed. All of them wanted to head home at this point. The deceptively sunny sky from this morning, however, kept them rooted to the spot. Not a single one of them had thought to grab an umbrella this morning. Now they were forced to wait for the storm to blow over.

"Of course this is how it ends up," Midorima groused, shooting a nasty look at the Russian nesting doll he held in his left hand. "I knew I should have gotten the bigger one. This one wasn't able to cancel out my bad luck for today."

"Then I blame you for this," Aomine drawled from his position against the doorframe. "You should remember this the next time you need to buy one of those things."

"Shut up," Midorima barked, adjusting his glasses. Though the subject was dropped, they all knew that the boy was taking that advice very seriously. The much joked about intervention would have to happen soon or else he'd be planning the birth of his children according to that ridiculous horoscope.

"I'm hungry~," Murasakibara said suddenly. He immediately began to rummage through his snack bag. A thought seemed to have crossed his mind, for he paused and glanced down at the redhead next to him. "Hey, Aka-chin, can I have a snack?"

"Fine, but only one," Akashi replied immediately. His foot tapped against the ground in an uncharacteristic show of impatience as he glared at the still falling rain. Had it been anything but a force of nature, the rain would have already stopped.

"Ah! I just remembered!" Kise shouted. Four pairs of eyes slid towards him. Kise gave a jubilant grin, practically bouncing in place. "Kurokocchi had an umbrella at practice this morning!"

The Generation of Miracles froze, suddenly remembering. Their phantom sixth man had indeed come to school with an umbrella. Considering the bright weather, they had teased him about it and then promptly forgotten. Now they realized Kuroko had probably been the smartest out of all of them. All five quickly looked around, hoping to spot the pale boy.

"Kuro-chin's gone," Murasakibara said, disappointment lacing his voice.

"So it would seem," Midorima sighed.

"I'm still here," a voice piped up. Akashi was the only one who didn't jump out of his skin at the voice, Aomine and Kise giving the added bonus of shocked yells. Kuroko stepped forward from his position behind the rest of them, his face blank as usual. "I've been here the whole time."

"Damn it Tetsu," Aomine forced out, still trying to recover. "We need to get you a bell or something."

"Absolutely not," Kuroko deadpanned. He gave a small sigh before continuing. "You all were saying something about an umbrella?"

"Yes! You brought one to school!" Kise quickly nodded. He then blinked in confusion. "Hey wait, if you have an umbrella why are you still here?"

"Ah, that," Kuroko said. "I don't have it."

"What? But, but…" Kise sputtered out, deflating as his last hope proved false.

"What happened to it, Kuroko?" Akashi asked in surprise. Kuroko seemed to hesitate before giving the closest thing to a shrug any of them had ever seen from him.

"I…gave it to someone else," he finally said.

"You gave it to someone else?" Aomine repeated. He grabbed Kuroko by the shoulders and began to shake him. "You gave it to some other person before your own partner? What kind of person does that?"

"Mine-chin, don't break Kuro-chin," Murasakibara cautioned as he reached out to rescue the smaller boy.

"Kurokocchi!" Kise cried, also going forward to rescue his teammate.

Before the blond reached him, however, Murasakibara successfully pulled Kuroko from Aomine's grasp. Surprised, Aomine stumbled forwards into the approaching Kise. The two fell into a tangle of limbs on the ground with various exclamations and swears. Akashi heaved an irritated sigh as he watched, though his gaze seemed distant.

"Honestly…" Midorima huffed as he took a calculated step away from the scuffle. Aomine and Kise continued to bicker as they tried to get back to their feet.

"Enough," Akashi finally snapped. The two froze, looking at their captain nervously. Akashi, however, ignored them and turned his attention to Kuroko, who was still being held by Murasakibara. "Kuroko, who did you give the umbrella to?"

Kuroko blinked his baby blue eyes once or twice, the only visible sign of his surprise. The other four gave far more obvious ones. They were all interested in who had the umbrella. Though Kuroko was unfailingly polite and kind, he wouldn't just randomly hand out his umbrella. Akashi's interest in the matter seemed different, more personal. As soon as they touched on that, everyone veered away quickly. That was a can of worms _no one_ wanted to open.

After a long moment of silence, Kuroko finally opened his mouth to answer. Yet it wasn't his words that broke the silence. It was a loud and out of place ringing. It took a second for it to be identified as a phone ringing and not anything more dangerous. Glances were then exchanged to locate the source. Surprisingly, it was Kuroko who answered the phone.

"Hello?" he said. Everyone watched quietly as he listened to the person on the other end. "I was waiting out the rain. I'm still at the school. Did you get home all right? …Good. I am glad I was able to be of some assistance." Akashi's eyes narrowed at that, though no words were said by anyone. "Is that so? Yes, I can. No, it's not a problem. Of course. Good bye." With that Kuroko ended the call and prepared to leave.

"Whoa, wait a sec Tetsu," Aomine suddenly said. He sat up from his position on the ground, causing Kise to tumble off of him. "What do you think you're doing?"

"It seems there are a few errands I have to run," Kuroko said absently.

"For the person on the phone?" Akashi asked. The question was innocently worded and politely presented, but there was no doubting the poison present.

"Yes," Kuroko said simply. He glanced at everyone before giving a short bow. "I will see everyone tomorrow then." And he stepped out into the downpour, becoming drenched in almost the same second.

"Wait, Kurokocchi!" Kise called after him, eyes wide in horror. "Don't go! It's still raining!"

"Aquarius did have the worst luck for today," Midorima said sagely. He was largely ignored.

"Hey, Aka-chin," Murasakibara said. "If Kuro-chin is leaving, does that mean the rest of us can leave as well?"

"No, Murasakibara, it does not," Akashi sighed. He seemed defeated somehow. That was ignored as well, though for the sake of their lives instead of exasperation.

"But why not?" Murasakibara whined. Akashi glared at him briefly before sighing again.

"Because walking out in this weather will make you sick," Akashi said with forced patience. Murasakibara thought on that for a moment.

"Does that mean Kuro-chin is going to get sick?" he finally asked. No one bothered to reply to that.

* * *

><p>When Kuroko failed to show up for morning practice the next day, no one was surprised. After his escapade the day before, everyone just assumed that he was at home in bed with a fever and a runny nose. Considering Kuroko's character, no one had any reason to question that assumption. Even Aomine agreed with it. Which is why he was completely surprised that afternoon when he saw Kuroko vanish around a corner.<p>

At first, Aomine just stared at the spot and blinked. There was no way that had been Kuroko. That person, whoever they had been, was headed in the _opposite_ direction of the gym they used for practice. Not to mention there had been a girl trailing just behind them. The only reason any of that would apply to Kuroko, should he actually be at school, would be if there was a blue moon and pigs grew wings. Aomine shook his head quickly. Even _then_ it would probably be impossible.

But there was one thing that made all of that irrelevant. Even though it had only been a quick glimpse, Aomine was sure of one thing: that person had had powder blue hair. Though he was often overlooked, Kuroko actually had very distinctive looks. And he was the only person Aomine knew of with that color of hair. So, as unlikely as it seemed, it had been Kuroko he had seen.

That confirmation was what finally spurred Aomine into moving. A scowl marred his face and irritation fueled his steps. If Kuroko was well enough to be in school, then he was more than well enough to come to practice. Or, if he really did want to skip practice, then he should have told Aomine so they could skip together. That's what partners did, after all. Not surprisingly, it wasn't long before Kuroko came into view again. The girl who had been following him was already gone. Aomine sped up slightly.

"Oi, Tetsu!" Aomine called out. Surprisingly, the little bluenette didn't turn around. Aomine gritted his teeth and walked even faster, his long legs eating up the distance between them. He grabbed Kuroko's arm, making the other turn slightly in surprise. But Aomine was already dragging him back towards the gym.

"H-Hey, wait a second!" Kuroko said in surprise, trying uselessly to remove his arm from Aomine's grasp.

"Oh no you don't," Aomine snapped, turning his head to glare at his partner. "You were trying to skip again. Without _me_. That's just not…"

Aomine's voice trailed off and his footsteps slowed but didn't stop, his eyes widening in shock as he finally processed what he was seeing. Just as he had already confirmed, the hair was the same powder blue. He could now confirm that the eyes were the exact shade of baby blue he was more than familiar with. This person even looked like Kuroko. Logically, this meant it _was_ Kuroko. But at the same time, it _wasn't_ Kuroko. Two pigtails were tied on either side of this person's head, the ends just brushing what was very obviously _not_ the chest of a male. The face Aomine swore he knew as well as the back of his hand was softer and the always-present poker face was noticeably missing. Instead, confusion and surprise were etched into every feature and danced in the usually blank blue eyes.

"…the _hell_?" Aomine finally said, those two words loaded with every once of bafflement he could muster. Kuroko opened his mouth to reply, only to instead widen his eyes at something in front of Aomine.

"Watch out!" Kuroko cried in a voice that was definitely higher pitched than normal.

"What?" Aomine asked blankly, turning his head around to see what had surprised his partner. The minute he did, his face came into contact with a wall. Kuroko bumped into him from behind, only to tumble to the ground when Aomine jumped backwards cursing, both hands clapped over his nose.

"Ouch…" Kuroko mumbled, getting back to his feet a bit disgruntled. He brushed himself off before turning back to Aomine, who was still clutching his nose and swearing. His eyes widened almost immediately. "Are you okay?"

"_No_, I am not okay," Aomine snapped, glaring at his partner with slightly blurred eyes. He pulled one of his hands away from his face to see it dotted with blood. "I just ran into a wall."

"Right…" Kuroko mumbled, blushing a bit. Aomine stared at this development in horror. The more he was faced with this strange development, the more he was forced to admit to himself a very uncomfortable fact. Aomine was _attracted_ to Kuroko right now. Though he had never been drawn to Kuroko as a male, right now he made a very pretty girl. But since he wasn't a girl, this meant that Aomine was just attracted to Kuroko in general, right? He was jolted out of his thoughts by a small piece of fabric being shoved in his face. Kuroko looked up at him with an earnest expression. "Here, use this."

"Thanks," Aomine managed to say before taking the handkerchief and quickly pressing it against his nose. He stared at his shorter partner for a long moment before giving an irritated sigh. "Why the_ hell_ are you dressed like that?"

"Eh?" Kuroko blinked, glancing down at himself. Aomine followed his gaze as well. Rather than his usual uniform or even the clothes he wore to practice, Kuroko was currently wearing a black skirt, what seemed to be a slightly oversized sweater, and a blue shirt. In other words, it was the girls' school uniform. An outfit that, Aomine admitted to himself reluctantly, the boy was pulling off rather well. Kuroko looked back towards Aomine in confusion. "Is there something wrong with what I'm wearing?"

"Is there…" Aomine sputtered. One hand gestured wildly towards Kuroko while the other held the handkerchief firmly to his face. "You're dressed like _that_ and you ask me if something is wrong? Have you gone nuts?"

"Um…" Kuroko said hesitantly, biting his lip nervously. He seemed to think something over before continuing to speak. "I think there's been some kind of misunderstanding."

"No shit!" Aomine shouted, forcing himself not to stare at the lip Kuroko was _still_ biting. Why did Kuroko have to make such a pretty girl? "Do you mind explaining to me why you're dressed as a girl?"

"Because I _am_ a girl," Kuroko said reproachfully, giving Aomine a baleful look. Aomine stared at him in shock before shaking his head quickly.

"No, no you're not," Aomine said firmly. "I've seen you in the locker room. You are _definitely_ a guy, Tetsu." Even _if_ there was a blue moon and pigs could suddenly fly, there was no way Kuroko thought he was or had any desire to be a girl. At least, Aomine hoped that was the case because otherwise things were going to be really awkward between the two of them from now on.

"Tetsu…" Kuroko repeated thoughtfully. Then his face lit up in understanding. "Oh! You think I'm Tetsuya!"

"Uh…" Aomine said brilliantly, suddenly confused. He _thought_ this was Kuroko? Wasn't it Kuroko? "Because you _are_ Tetsu, right?"

"No," Kuroko denied with a shake of his head, his pigtails flying through the air. "Tetsuya's my brother."

"Your brother," Aomine repeated blankly. His brain had officially stopped working. "You're Tetsu's…sister?"

"I'm Kuroko Ayane, Tetsuya's younger twin sister," Kuroko said while giving a smile that made Aomine's heart skip a beat and his mind wonder why Kuroko of all people was smiling. "It's nice to meet you."

"Ah…" Aomine managed, struggling to form a coherent thought. The person standing before him wasn't Kuroko but Kuroko's _sister_. A sister that he had never heard of before. And a sister that Aomine couldn't help but admit he was attracted to. At least the sister was female. It was easier than trying to deal with a sudden attraction to his partner.

"And you're Aomine-kun, right?" she continued. Aomine's eyes widened even further in surprise. The girl just smiled again. "Tetsuya's mentioned you a few times. You can just call me Ayane, almost everyone does. So then, were you looking for Tetsuya?"

"…Not exactly," Aomine muttered unwillingly. "Just thought you were him, that's all."

"Oh," Ayane said. Her fingers came up to fiddle with the end of one of her pigtails. "I see. It's not the first time it's happened."

"Right," Aomine mumbled. An awkward silence reigned for a long moment.

"What about your nose?" Ayane said suddenly. She looked up at him again, worry obvious in her eyes. "Is it going to be all right?"

"What?" Aomine said. He removed the handkerchief from his nose. "Yeah, it'll be fine. It's already stopped bleeding."

"Okay then," Ayane said. "You can give the handkerchief back to me later. Or just give it to Tetsuya."

"Sure," Aomine said, turning away. "I better head to practice now."

"Of course," Ayane nodded. "It was nice to meet you."

"You too," Aomine muttered as he walked away.

Aomine didn't offer a word of complaint at the punishment Akashi gave him for being late. His mind was too wrapped up in thoughts about the girl he had just met. The girl who was Kuroko's twin sister.

* * *

><p><strong>AN<strong>: Well, here's chapter 1, just like I promised. I hope it's better than the prologue. I know that wasn't really all that interesting, but trust me, there's a reason I wrote it. Next chapter we'll learn a little bit more about Ayane, I promise.


	3. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer**: I don't own KnB. Just Ayane. Oh, and Hana.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 2—Why Didn't you Tell me you were a Cross-Dresser?<strong>

Nobuki Hana had been witness to many of the misunderstandings that surrounded the Kuroko twins. Some, like her own, were laughable (in her defense, she was five and there may have been a dress or two involved). Some of them were irritating. Others could have been easily avoided. Yet the one she found herself seeing now could only be categorized as odd.

It had started simply enough. Hana and Ayane had been heading towards the cafeteria for lunch as normal. Their conversation had been inconsequential. In fact, Hana couldn't even remember what they had been talking about. Either way, everything had been the same as always. Then Hana heard the light giggles of the other girls around them. She didn't get any time to think on it.

"Kurokocchi!" a voice shouted. The next moment a blonde missile slammed into Ayane. With a cry of surprise, Ayane tumbled to the ground, the missile with her.

Hana stared at the tangle of limbs on the ground, fighting against the urge to laugh. Kise Ryouta, up and coming model, member of the basketball team, and school heartthrob, was apparently the blonde missile. And right now he was what could only be called cuddling Ayane to within an inch of her life. The bluenette was struggling in his grasp desperately, her face stained with bright red. Of course, Kise apparently didn't even notice and just held her tighter. The giggles that had announced the arrival of the blonde had already turned to whispers and glares. Yes, though extraordinarily entertaining, this situation was odd.

"Kurokocchi, I missed you!" Kise was saying, rubbing his cheek against the top of Ayane's head. "I haven't seen you since this morning!"

"Cchi?" Ayane squeaked, pausing in her struggles. She turned her eyes to Hana desperately. "Hana-chan, please!"

"All right, all right," Hana sighed. She grabbed the back of Kise's shirt and yanked. "Down boy!" The words came out automatically, without any thought. Hana regretted saying them, yet they seemed oddly appropriate. As he was now Kise best resembled an over-exuberant puppy. In a way it suited him far better than any of his other roles.

"Urk!" Kise coughed as he fell backwards, his arms still wrapped tight around Ayane.

"Gah!" Ayane cried as she was dragged with him.

"Drop!" Hana commanded, shaking Kise lightly. Almost automatically Kise loosened his arms. Ayane immediately scooted away, her face still red. "Good boy. Ayane, are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Ayane muttered, staring at the floor.

"Huh?" Kise said, blinking. He glanced behind him at Hana, confusion on his face. Then he turned back to Ayane and stared for a long moment. Then he gasped. "Kurokocchi, why didn't you tell me you were a cross-dresser?"

"…huh?" Ayane said, staring. The red was finally leaving her face and now she looked just as confused as Kise. "I'm not…"

"You should have told me!" Kise scolded, ignoring Ayane. "I could have been picking out clothes for you all this time! I could make you look more adorable than you already do! Why didn't you tell me, Kurokocchi?"

Hana couldn't take it anymore. She doubled over laughing with tears in her eyes. The rest of the hall was silent, torn between jealously and utter confusion. After all, Kise was obviously fond of the bluenette and many of the girls would sell their souls to be in that position. On the other hand, Kise was saying this person was a cross-dresser. None of them could explain that. Ayane looked like she was about ready to cry from either embarrassment or laughter. No one could really decide which. Kise's eyes were just darting between the two girls, confused yet again. Hana finally recovered, her eyes meeting Ayane's.

"I never thought anyone could screw up worse than me," Hana managed, struggling to catch her breath.

"We're not supposed to talk about that," Ayane practically whispered. Both girls' eyes darted from side to side with fearful expressions on their faces.

* * *

><p>On the other side of the school, Kuroko sneezed. He blinked his eyes slowly, a strange feeling suddenly appearing.<p>

"I think someone talked about something they weren't supposed to," he muttered to himself. He thought about it for another moment. "No, she wouldn't…"

With that Kuroko turned back to his book.

* * *

><p>When the threat on their lives faded, both girls gave a sigh of relief. Then Ayane turned back to the matter at hand with a quick shake of her head.<p>

"Anyway…" Ayane said, turning her attention back to the blonde. "Um, Kurokocchi?"

"Of course!" Kise beamed. Sparkles seemed to surround him and the girls squealed. Hana just sighed. Ayane just blinked in surprise.

"Uh, well, when you say that, you mean Tetsuya, right?" Ayane pressed.

"Who else would I mean?" Kise said with a frown. He peered at Ayane. "Are you feeling all right, Kurokocchi? You're acting really weird."

"Um, okay then," Ayane nodded. She got back to her feet with a deep breath. "This is going to sound strange, but I'm not Tetsuya. He's my twin brother. My name is Kuroko Ayane. And the girl behind you is Nobuki Hana, my best friend. It's nice to meet you, Kise-kun."

Ayane finally paused in her monologue, watching Kise expectantly. However the blonde gave no reaction at all. He was completely frozen. In fact, it was questionable whether he was even breathing. Hana just sighed, shaking her head. No matter how many people the bluenette told about her brother, there was always that many more who didn't know. Ayane stared down at Kise worriedly. She finally offered him a hand, a hesitantly smile on her face.

"Here, I'll help you up," she said, stretching her hand out a bit more. Kise didn't move. He didn't even blink. Hana finally let go of the back of his shirt and instead placed her hands on her friend's shoulders.

"Come on, let's go, Ayane," Hana murmured, gently steering Ayane away.

"But Kise-kun…" Ayane protested, twisting around to look at the still frozen blonde.

"Is in shock right now," Hana said soothingly. "He'll be all right in a few minutes. Let's go get lunch, okay?"

"Okay…" Ayane nodded, turning away.

The two continued their way to the cafeteria. Hana spent most of the time cursing to herself. She had just realized she hadn't taken a single picture of the entire event.

* * *

><p>Ten minutes later, Kise was still seated on the hallway floor. People shot him strange looks as they walked around him. The girls from before were still there, whispering among themselves.<p>

"Is he okay?" one whispered.

"I don't know," another replied, looking at the frozen blonde worriedly.

"Do you think we should say something to him?" a third tried. Suddenly Kise jumped to his feet, startling his fans.

"Eh?" he shrieked. "Sister?"

Kise then shot down the hallway, still struggling to understand what he had just learned. Unsurprisingly, he bumped into someone and, again, he fell to the ground.

"Ow…" he groaned, sitting up.

"Watch where you're going, you idiot," a familiar voice said gruffly.

"Aominecchi!" Kise shouted, bouncing back to his feet. Aomine stared at the other impassively, waiting for the blonde to continue. "Aominecchi, you will never _believe_ what I just saw!"

"Really?" Aomine drawled. He crossed his arms expectantly. Kise took a deep breath.

"Well I was just walking down the hallway when I saw Kurokocchi," Kise started, babbling. "So I hugged him just like I always do. But then he had a friend who ordered me around like a dog, and you know I'm not a dog, and so I had to let him go. I got a good look at him and then I realized he was dressed like a girl! I asked him why he didn't tell me he was a cross-dresser because it would have been awesome to pick out his clothes for him. He seemed really confused and his friend started laughing! So I asked him what was going on and it turns out it wasn't actually Kurokocchi! It was his _sister_! Aominecchi, Kurokocchi has a _sister_!"

Aomine blinked his eyes in surprise. While he had blocked out most of Kise's rant, he had caught onto one specific word. Kise had very clearly said sister. If Kise was panicking about a sister, that meant he had met Ayane. Aomine couldn't deny how happy he was to hear someone else mention the girl. It had been three days since his encounter with her and, in all that time, he hadn't seen her once. If it weren't for the handkerchief he still had in his pocket, he would think the entire encounter hadn't happened at all. As it was, he was questioning whether Kuroko actually had a sister. Maybe it had been what he had thought in the beginning and Kuroko had just been dressed as a girl. Yet now Kise had seen her too.

"Wait, you met Ayane-chan?" Aomine said quickly. Kise blinked at Aomine, his jaw hanging in surprise.

"You know her?" Kise demanded.

"I met her a few days ago," Aomine said, rubbing the back of his head. "You know, the day Tetsu was gone. I was thinking I had just imagined the whole thing."

"So I'm not crazy," Kise sighed in relief. Aomine raised his eyebrows at that, silently questioning that statement. Kise didn't notice and continued. "So then…why didn't we know about her?"

"I don't know," Aomine admitted. "You'd think that'd be the type of thing to mention to your teammates."

"Yeah," Kise nodded. He fell silent for a moment, thinking. Then he beamed. "She was really pretty though."

"Yeah, she was," Aomine muttered. The two boys realized what the other had said and turned to each other, their stares challenging. Before any real contest could begin, something interrupted them.

"Who was pretty?" a quiet voice said.

"Ah!" Kise and Aomine shrieked, jerking in the direction of the voice. Kuroko stood next to them, looking up at them almost expectantly. A threatening aura emanated from the bluenette, warning the other two to watch their next words carefully. Connecting what they had just been talking about with Kuroko's current attitude, Aomine wisely said nothing. Kise, however, was not so lucky.

"Kurokocchi!" Kise shouted, frowning. "Why didn't you tell us you had a pretty sister?"

"…What?" Kuroko said dangerously.

"Kise…" Aomine muttered, hoping the blonde would get the hint. Kise didn't.

"Yeah, I just ran into her in the hallway," Kise said, hopping slightly in excitement. "I thought she was you, but she wasn't! And she was really pretty and nice! Why did you never tell us about her?"

"I see, so you met her…" Kuroko said quietly. He seemed lost in thought. Kise seemed to remember something and turned to Aomine instead.

"And why didn't you mention something sooner?" Kise asked. Kuroko's eyes shot to the other bluenette and Aomine made desperate gestures for Kise not to continue. Yet again, the blonde did not take the hint. "You've known about her for three days. Why didn't you tell any of the rest of us about her?"

"Kise-kun, Aomine-kun," Kuroko finally said. Kise and Aomine cowered away from him, in their minds his dark aura dancing around him like flames. "It seems you've met my sister. This means we have a few things to talk about. If you wouldn't mind following me."

Kuroko pivoted and walked away. Kise and Aomine followed without a word, both of them far too terrified to even consider running away. The three of them vanished into the nearest empty classroom, the door shutting behind them ominously.

* * *

><p>Kise and Aomine left the room with pale, battle worn faces. For the rest of the day, people continuously asked them what was wrong. Neither was able to give an answer. They both just shuddered and looked away. When pressed, Kise finally offered a single sentence.<p>

"Kurokocchi is _way_ scarier than Akashicchi."

* * *

><p><strong>AN<strong>: So here is it, chapter 2! I'm so sorry it took so long. I was engaged in a staring contest with my screen for a very long time. The screen usually won...anyway. Thank you everyone who reviewed/followed/favorited! Hopefully you'll all stick around for the next chapter!


	4. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer**: I don't own KnB. Just Ayane. Oh, and Hana.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 3—Who Knew He Had a Feminine Side<strong>

The final bell rang and the classroom was filled with the sounds of students preparing to leave. Midorima began to quickly pack away his things, uneasily glancing towards the clock every few seconds. His horoscope had said today was not his day for deadlines. Even with the tropical snow globe that was functioning as his lucky item, he had been cutting it close all day. All he had left was basketball and that was the last thing in the world he wanted to be late for. Who knew what kind of punishment Akashi would give him if it came to that? Midorima wasn't exactly eager to find out.

"Wait, Aomine-kun!" a voice called as Midorima got to his feet. The greenette turned his head to see one of his classmates standing by the door, an exasperated look on her face.

"Did you need him for something?" a second girl asked, walking towards her.

"No, but he dropped this," the first girl said, showing her friend something in her hand. "I was just trying to give it back."

"Well, why don't you just ask Midorima-kun to give it back?" the second girl said, her eyes locked on the boy as he tried to slip past them out the door. Midorima paused almost guiltily. "The two of them are in the basketball club, after all. I'm sure he'll see him."

"Could you, Midorima-kun?" the first girl asked, turning to look at the greenette.

"Fine," Midorima grumbled.

"Thank you," the girl said, offering the object.

Midorima juggled his own belongings to free a hand, took it, and left. A countdown in bright red numbers appeared in his mind. Even though he knew exactly how long it took for him to get to the gym and that he had more than enough time, he couldn't help but be paranoid. The horoscope was never wrong, after all. He tried to tighten his grip on his snow globe for reassurance, only to nearly drop it instead.

Without thinking, Midorima dropped everything else he was holding and caught his lucky item with both hands. He released the breath he didn't know he was holding in relief. The people passing by were shooting him strange looks, but he ignored them in favor of picking up the things he had dropped. A piece of fabric caught his eye, making him pause. It was a handkerchief. And it wasn't his. His was in his pocket, like it always was.

"Aomine," Midorima said out loud, remembering the girl from the doorway. She had given him something to return to the bluenette and, in his rush, he hadn't taken the time to look at it. The handkerchief must have been it. Midorima picked it up as well and got back to his feet. His feet began moving towards the gym again, his mind no longer filled with the countdown.

There were many words a person could use to describe Aomine. Idiotic. Lazy. Arrogant. But the word "feminine" wasn't on that list, not even at the very bottom. Aomine wasn't girly in the slightest. Yet the handkerchief Midorima had been given to return to him was most definitely girly. Simple lace lined the edge of it and it was a clean white, far cleaner than Midorima would ever expect of Aomine. If this really was Aomine's handkerchief, then there was obviously a side to the ace none of them knew about.

"Midorima," a voice called.

Midorima turned towards it almost immediately, his subconscious identifying it before the rest of his mind managed to catch up. Akashi stood next to him, a questioning look on his face. Midorima blinked and looked around himself. He was still standing in the hallway. Somewhere in the middle of his contemplation, he had stopped walking. Midorima scowled slightly and began walking again, Akashi easily keeping pace with him.

"Akashi," Midorima finally acknowledged, realizing his captain was going to stay with him the entire way to the gym.

"Is something the matter?" Akashi asked. He tilted his head slightly. "You were standing there for a while."

"No, nothing is the matter," Midorima said quickly, adjusting his glasses in embarrassment. His eyes flicked to the handkerchief again. "I was just confused for a moment."

"About?" Akashi pressed.

"This," Midorima relented, knowing Akashi wouldn't leave it be if he was interested. He offered the handkerchief, which Akashi accepted in curiosity. "I was given that to return to Aomine."

"To Aomine?" Akashi repeated in disbelief. He looked at the fabric he was holding with wide eyes. Aomine using such a thing…the image was almost laughable.

"Exactly," Midorima nodded, relieved he wasn't the only one who thought it was a bit strange. Akashi began to look over the handkerchief closely, as if the answer to this riddle was hidden somewhere in the threads.

"Who knew he actually had a feminine side," Akashi muttered. He came to a sudden halt, eyes sharp. "Wait a moment. This isn't Aomine's."

"What?" Midorima said in surprise, stopping as well. Akashi quickly adjusted the handkerchief to focus on a specific corner. Midorima leaned in closer to get a better look.

"See, here," Akashi said, pointing. The corner they were looking at had initials on it in a light blue thread. Only they weren't Aomine's initials. "If this were Aomine's, then this would be A.D. This says K.A."

"The girl said Aomine dropped this," Midorima said, thinking out loud. "If it isn't his, than whose is it? And why did he have it?"

"Who indeed…" Akashi mused, tapping his chin in thought. One could practically see the light bulb go off above his head. "Aren't the test scores still posted?"

"I believe so," Midorima frowned. "Why?"

"All of the second years' test scores are posted," Akashi explained. He turned and began to walk quickly, Midorima just a step behind him. "Including K.A.'s."

Midorima immediately understood. All they had to do was find the name with the initials K.A. on the list. One of them was surely the owner of the handkerchief. They could then ask that person why Aomine of all people had it. The two continued down the hall at a quick pace, eager to solve their mystery.

* * *

><p>"Oi, how much longer are we supposed to wait?" Aomine called. He was sprawled out across the gym floor, one arm behind his head. His single open eye flickered over his teammates lazily.<p>

"It's unlike Akashi-kun to be late," Kuroko observed quietly.

"And where's Mido-chin?" Murasakibara added as he munched on his chips.

"Hey, if Akashicchi doesn't show up, does that mean we can go home?" Kise said suddenly, grinning at the idea.

"Idiot," came the resounding reply. None of them were crazy enough to skip practice without Akashi's permission, even if the redhead didn't show up.

"Then what are we supposed to do?" Kise whined. "I'm bored."

"Maybe we should warm up," Kuroko suggested.

The others grumbled a bit, but complied. It was a better option that just sitting around, anyway.

* * *

><p>Akashi was seething. Midorima kept a careful distance between them, clutching his snow globe almost in prayer. The wall in front of them was blank, only a few scraps of paper left behind. The list was gone. The teachers had taken it down only moments before the two boys had arrived. In some strange twist of fate, the universe was plotting <em>against<em> Akashi. Midorima clutched the snow globe even tighter.

"We could always just give the handkerchief back to Aomine," Midorima offered hesitantly. Akashi just gave him a scathing look. Midorima sighed quietly, resigning himself to the quest.

Why the two of them were so determined to know was a bit of a mystery. After all, it was just a handkerchief. Yet it was something Akashi hadn't known about. It wasn't so much that he _wanted_ to know but that he _should_ know. He should know everything about his teammates, even their secrets. The fact that Aomine had tried to hide something just made him want to know more. Midorima was just being dragged along for the ride, though he too was curious.

The hallway was silent as the two of them thought about their next move. Then there were footsteps and voices.

"I said no," the first voice snapped.

"But Hana-chan," a second whined. "I really want one and Tetsuya can't come with me. _Please_?"

"No means no," the first voice insisted. Then a sigh. "I really don't understand how you two are so obsessed. What is so great about a vanilla milkshake?"

"It's good," the second voice said simply. The tone reminded both Akashi and Midorima of Kise, flowers appearing before their eyes much like it did when their teammate was there.

A second later, two girls came around the corner. They continued their conversation, maybe argument, as they approached, oblivious to the boys' presence. Akashi and Midorima, however, noticed them. Or, more specifically, one of them. Midorima stared openly, his mind reeling. He couldn't form a coherent thought. Akashi seemed just as surprised, though he hid it far better. The girl was familiar and yet unfamiliar. It was…

"Kuroko?" Akashi tried, his voice somewhere between shocked and scolding. If it really _was_ Kuroko, this was not where the boy was supposed to be. Actually, Midorima thought in a far corner of his mind, this wasn't where they were supposed to be either. The girls paused, finally looking up.

"Hm?" the Kuroko lookalike said, blinking slightly. "Aren't you…was practice cancelled?"

"Do you know them?" the other girl said, practically glaring at them. The boys recognized they were staring and corrected themselves.

"No, not really," the Kuroko lookalike said with a shake of her head, her pigtails shifting as she did so. "But I've seen them at the games and Tetsuya's told me about them."

"Oh, so they're in the basketball club," the other girl said with a sage nod. "That makes more sense." She paused, thinking. "Which means…"

"Are you Kuroko?" Midorima forced out, his mind still stalling. The girls looked at him almost pityingly and Akashi sighed in annoyance.

"…that they're idiots," the girl finished with a slight sneer.

"Hana-chan," the Kuroko lookalike whispered fearfully as the temperature dropped a few degrees.

"I prefer to think we are simply ignorant," Akashi said lightly, barely hiding his irritation. He focused on the Kuroko lookalike. "You seem to have the advantage, Kuroko-san. You know who we are, yet we don't know you. I am Akashi Seijurou. And you are?"

"You seem to know though," the Kuroko lookalike pointed out innocently. After all, Akashi had addressed her specifically. Akashi just stared at her, waiting. The girl frowned. "Kuroko Ayane. Tetsuya is my twin brother. And I know that you are Akashi-kun and Midorima-kun. It's nice to meet you."

"Nobuki Hana," the other girl added. Her eyebrows rose slightly. "What are you two doing here anyway? Don't you have practice?"

"Of course," Akashi said smoothly. He pulled out the handkerchief that had caused this situation to begin with. "I was wondering, Kuroko-san, if this was yours?"

Midorima blinked in surprise as realization flooded him. Kuroko Ayane. K.A. But surely it couldn't…

"Ah!" Ayane said in surprise, accepting the fabric. "My handkerchief!"

Apparently it could.

"I'm glad we found the owner," Akashi said with a slight smile. Midorima was still of the impression the captain was furious, but decided not to say anything about it.

"How come you two have it?" Hana asked with a frown.

"A classmate of mine dropped it," Midorima said, the first words he had spoken since his rather embarrassing outburst. "I was asked to return it to them, but since it is actually yours…" Midorima gave a nonchalant shrug.

"Thank you," Ayane said. She stared at the handkerchief for a long moment. Then she frowned again, looking at the redhead suspiciously. "But…how did you know it was mine?"

"Just a guess," Akashi answered simply. He stared at Ayane. "It's a wonder we've never met before. After all, I know Kuroko quite well."

"I suppose not as well as you thought you did," Ayane said smoothly. Hana seemed surprised at the venom in her friend's voice. Midorima was shocked as well that the seemingly sweet girl could sound like that. "But everyone is entitled to a private life, right, Akashi-kun?"

"Of course," Akashi said. The two looked at each other with pleasant expressions even as the air around them turned dark. Midorima and Hana stepped away.

"Scary…" Hana muttered.

"Indeed," Midorima agreed.

"Well, now that that's settled," Akashi finally said. He glanced at Midorima. "Let's go, Midorima, we're late."

"Right," Midorima said quickly.

"It was nice to meet you, Kuroko-san, Nobuki-san," Akashi said with a final wave.

"And you," Ayane said with a nod of her head.

With that, they parted ways.

* * *

><p>"What was that about?" Hana asked as they walked down the hallway, glancing over her shoulder at the boys. "You don't usually get angry like that…"<p>

"I don't like him," Ayane said simply as she placed her handkerchief in her pocket. "People are allowed to have secrets."

"Er, right…" Hana said, not quite following. She remained silent, worrying a bit over her friend's dark aura. Then she sighed. "Do you still want that milkshake?"

"Really?" Ayane asked happily, flowers appearing and dispelling the darkness. In many ways, Ayane was simple.

* * *

><p>"What are you four doing?" Akashi barked as he stepped into the gym.<p>

Aomine, Kise, Murasakibara, and Kuroko jumped guiltily, quickly sitting up from their positions on the floor. A few basketballs were on the floor around them. It was obvious they had not been practicing.

"Ah, you're here," Murasakibara drawled.

"What do you mean what are we doing, what were you doing?" Aomine said loudly with false bravado. "We've been here this whole time and…" He quailed at the glare delivered by Akashi.

"I told you we should have gone home…" Kise muttered under his breath. Then he gave a cry of pain as Aomine hit him.

"Akashi-kun, you're late," Kuroko said almost accusingly.

"Yes," Akashi said, ignoring the tone. He thought to himself. "Kise, Murasakibara, you're training is doubled. Midorima, tripled. And Aomine, quadrupled."

"What?" Aomine shouted. "What did I do?"

"I was with you this whole time," Midorima said almost desperately.

"Handkerchief," was all Akashi said. Midorima fell silent, understanding. Akashi apparently did not like Ayane. Aomine's eyes widened comically, his hand darting to his pocket.

"And me, Akashi-kun?" Kuroko piped up, looking a bit confused.

"Ah, Kuroko," Akashi said. He thought to himself for a moment. "Would you like a vanilla milkshake?" The muted flowers that appeared were more than an answer. "Everyone else, I will see you in the morning. Kuroko, shall we?"

Akashi and Kuroko left quickly. Everyone else remained in the gym, mouths gaping.

"What the hell just happened?" Aomine shouted.

"I knew I shouldn't have been late," Midorima sighed, again reveling in the accuracy of Oha-Asa.

"Kuro-chin gets a milkshake," Murasakibara pouted.

"I wanna go home~!" Kise wailed.

It was dark by the time they finally left the gym. None of them were dumb enough to skip out on their punishment, even if Akashi wasn't there to observe it.

* * *

><p><strong>AN<strong>: I wasn't sure how this was going to turn out, since Akashi and Midorima don't really set themselves up for funny situations. But I'm more than happy with this chapter. Ayane and Akashi is surprisingly fun to write. And now I want a milkshake...Thanks to everyone who has read/reviewed/favorited/followed! Means a lot! And I hope you guys liked this chapter too.


	5. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:** I don't own KnB. Just Ayane. Oh, and Hana.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 4—Vanilla Milkshakes have Magical Powers<strong>

Ayane was normally a cheerful person. Perhaps not as bright as Kise, but it was rare to see her in a bad mood. Kuroko, though infinitely harder to read, could most of the time be considered calm and practical. Yet mention vanilla milkshakes and it was a completely different story. Ayane glowed with a light that put Kise to shame and even Kuroko brightened considerably.

It was a complete mystery to Hana as to why.

It was even more mysterious why the milkshakes from Maji's of all places were their favorite. But they were and as a result Hana had spent more time in the fast food joint than she would like to admit. She didn't even want to think about how often the twins visited.

Hana sighed quietly to herself and looked around absently. It was rather crowded today. They were probably going to be waiting a long time for a single milkshake. Ayane, however, didn't seem bothered. She stood next to Hana with a wide smile on her face and Hana could swear she was humming to herself. Hana knew from experience it would be a while before Ayane returned to the realm of "normal".

The bell hanging above the door rang, signaling the arrival of yet another customer. Hana didn't even blink at the sound. There were so many people here it was almost a constant thing. Yet the gentle sound caught Ayane's attention, temporarily snapping her out of her milkshake stupor.

"Tetsuya," she said as she turned towards the door, her smile almost impossibly widening.

"Tetsuya?" Hana repeated in confusion, turning as well. Hana wasn't questioning Ayane's instinctive recognition of his arrival, she was used to that, but rather his presence at all. Kuroko being at his favorite restaurant wasn't strange in and of itself, but it was still rather early. Kuroko should still be at practice.

As Kuroko had a very low presence, Hana wasn't surprised that she didn't see him standing in the doorway. It was the person standing next to him that made her jaw drop and her eyes widen. Next to her, Ayane stiffened and Hana could feel the dark aura from earlier return with a vengeance.

"Akashi-kun," Ayane practically hissed.

Though they were nowhere near each other and the restaurant was far too loud to allow the sound to carry, Akashi turned his head as if he heard. His eyes narrowed almost immediately. Then his attention was snatched by something on his right. Hana jumped slightly as Kuroko finally came into view. He said something to Akashi before coming towards the girls, the redhead following after him reluctantly.

"Ayane-chan, Nobuki-san," Kuroko said once he was next to him. "I didn't know you would be here."

"Hana is fine, Tetsuya," Hana sighed, flinching slightly at the glare Akashi suddenly offered her. "How long have we known each other? And it's not really unusual for us to be here. But why are _you_ here? Don't you have practice?"

"Akashi-kun offered to buy me a milkshake," Kuroko answered innocently, slipping back into a milkshake stupor. The small flowers that appeared seemed wildly out of place next to the shadows that loomed around Ayane and Akashi.

"Is that so?" Ayane said coolly, raising her eyebrows. "How kind of him."

"I'm glad you think so," Akashi said with a dip of his head.

"Though I find it strange that you're the only one here, Tetsuya," Ayane continued. "What about your teammates?"

"They had a bit of…extra training to do," Akashi replied with a slight smile.

"How convenient," Ayane said with a small smile of her own.

"Is something wrong?" Kuroko asked. He had finally returned to normal and was now looking between his sister and captain in confusion.

"Nothing at all," Ayane and Akashi answered immediately, though their eyes never left each other. Kuroko remained silent, a small frown suddenly appearing on his face.

"Do Akashi-kun and Ayane-chan know each other?" he asked, the barest hint of steel present in his voice.

"We met earlier," Akashi replied absently.

"I see…" Kuroko murmured.

Hana repressed a groan as Kuroko's own aura turned dark and his eyes turned towards Akashi. Yes, Kuroko was normally very calm. But there were two things that could make him act differently. The first was a vanilla milkshake. The second was anyone of the male gender who knew his sister. The small and unnoticeable male gave "overprotective" a whole new meaning.

Akashi, sensing the change, allowed his eyes to flicker towards Kuroko. He seemed briefly surprised at the other boy's anger. Then realization came to him and Akashi returned to glaring at Ayane, his gaze even fiercer than before. The temperature in the restaurant seemed to be steadily dropping and Hana absently noted that everyone else had fallen silent. She couldn't really blame them; a person would have to be completely oblivious not to notice the tension. Hana sighed, thinking quickly. This needed to end, sooner rather than later, or else World War III was going to break out in the middle of this poor unsuspecting restaurant.

"C-Can I take your order?" a hesitant voice stuttered out. Hana turned her attention to the counter, her eyes falling on a cashier who stood there quaking in her shoes. Hana tilted her head slightly before turning back to her companions.

"Hey, don't you guys want a milkshake?" she asked, unsure if it would have any effect.

Almost immediately the auras surrounding the Kuroko twins faded. They both turned away from Akashi and approached the counter eagerly. Within a minute flowers and rainbows surrounded them. Hana felt her jaw drop again. Any remnant of the tension from before was gone. And all it took was the mention of vanilla milkshakes. Vanilla milkshakes had just averted a war. Hana struggled to understand the sudden turn of events.

Vanilla milkshakes had magical powers. That was the only logical explanation.

So shocked by her sudden epiphany Hana failed to notice Akashi leaving, a small frown on his face.

* * *

><p>"Let's go get lunch!" a girl cheered, trotting towards the door.<p>

"We better hurry, or all the good stuff will be gone," Momoi added as she followed.

"Ah, Momoi-san," the teacher called suddenly, making the girls pause. "I need to speak with you for a moment. Momoi blinked in surprise, confused. Her friends exchanged looks, uncertain of what they should do.

"It's all right, go ahead without me," Momoi told them reassuringly. After wishing her luck, her friends left.

Momoi watched them leave, a wave of unease overtaking her. She approached the teacher apprehensively. Teachers didn't usually ask to speak with a student unless they had done something wrong. If that was the case, then what had Momoi done? Her grades were excellent, so that couldn't be it. She wasn't disruptive during class and as far as she knew she hadn't done anything outside of class to deserve a talking to either. Momoi frowned, her mind racing.

"Momoi-san, about the homework…" the teacher began, flicking through the pile in front of him.

"Yes?" Momoi prompted, blinking in confusion. The homework? She had turned that in. She had even helped Aomine with his the night before. After his rather poor performance on the last round of tests, Momoi had taken on the near impossible task of improving his grades. Part of that included making sure he did his homework. As such, she usually dragged him to her house after practice and refused to let him leave until he was done. The things she did for her friends…

"While I'm glad to see it was done," the teacher said, breaking Momoi out of her thoughts. He offered her a notebook, a disapproving look on his face. "It would be more beneficial for both you _and_ your friend if you turned in your _own_."

"Huh?" Momoi said brilliantly, taking the notebook automatically. She looked at it more closely. Then she practically fell to the floor in shock. This was not her notebook. This was Aomine's. She had turned in Aomine's homework. Which meant… "Aomine-kun has my notebook! I'm so sorry, sensei!"

"Er, really, it isn't such a big deal," the teacher said awkwardly as Momoi began bowing and apologizing profusely. "If you can get me your homework by the end of lunch, I'll forget this ever happened. Sound fair?"

"Of course, sensei!" Momoi shouted gratefully, already running towards the door. "Thank you very much!"

Momoi raced down the hallway, cursing her friend under her breath. This was probably a mistake on his part, after all. She refused to take the blame for this. And if Aomine was already gone when she finally got to his classroom…

"Mou, stupid Dai-chan!" Momoi yelled as she ran, making a few people glance at her strangely. She ignored them, suddenly running even faster. She had to get there before the moron disappeared.

Momoi reached Aomine's classroom in record time, making her give an internal cheer. She was so focused on her goal that she didn't notice someone coming from the opposite direction, apparently with the same destination. It was unsurprising that the two of them collided. What _was_ surprising was that, in the briefest second before the crash, the classroom door opened and someone stepped out. As Momoi ran into the stranger, the new person ran into the two of them, making all three of them fall to the ground.

Momoi groaned as she raised herself onto her elbows, wincing as something hit her head. She looked at the offending object. It was…a cookie? Looking around, she could see at least two dozen of them scattered around. Where had they come from? Still thinking, Momoi attempted to get back to her feet, frowning when she found she couldn't. A long pair of legs lay across her, keeping her pinned to the ground. Without looking she knew whose legs they were.

"Aomine-kun, get off of me!" she said loudly, pushing against his legs.

"Satsuki?" Aomine said in surprise, his head twisting around to look at her. "What are you doing here?"

"Looking for you, idiot," Momoi shot back, glaring. "Now get off of me!"

"It's not that easy," Aomine muttered, not moving.

"And why not?" Momoi demanded. A crowd had begun to gather and she was getting more desperate to get out of this situation.

Aomine didn't say anything, but Momoi could swear the back of his neck was turning red. That was when Momoi noticed Aomine's position. While his legs rested on her, he was holding himself up off the ground, as if to keep from crushing something. Momoi remembered there had been a third person involved. They must have landed under Aomine. But to invoke this kind of reaction…who were they? Momoi shifted slightly to get a better look of this mystery person. Her eyes widened in surprise, her lips parting slightly.

"…Tetsu-kun?" she tried hesitantly. Even as she said it, she knew she was wrong. Though this person looked remarkably similar to the shadow, Momoi could tell this person was a girl. The girl glanced at her and shook her head slightly. Momoi couldn't help but pity her a bit. Her face was so red it looked like she was going to explode. Before anything more could be said, someone came to the door of the classroom.

"Ah, Sa-chin, Mine-chin, Yane-chin, what are you all doing on the floor?" a voice drawled. All three turned to see Murasakibara standing in the doorway, a slightly confused look on his face.

"Mukkun!" Momoi cried out in relief.

"Don't ask stupid questions, just help us up!" Aomine snapped.

Murasakibara blinked in annoyance, but helped them nonetheless. Moments later, they were all back on their feet. Momoi brushed herself off, her eyes locked on the strange girl. Aomine stood next to awkwardly and was looking everywhere _but_ the girl. The girl herself was standing next to Murasakibara who stared down at her with a small frown.

"Are you okay, Yane-chin?" he asked worriedly.

"I'm fine, Atsushi-kun," the girl muttered. She refused to lift her gaze from the floor and her face was still a bright red. Murasakibara didn't stop frowning, though his eyes flickered instead to the cookies on the ground.

"Ah, Yane-chin's been baking," he said. "But they're all ruined…"

"Sorry, Atsushi-kun," the girl sighed, the color in her cheeks slowly fading. Momoi looked between the two of them in surprise.

"Do you two know each other?" she asked. Aomine still wasn't looking at them, but it was obvious he was listening.

"Mm," Murasakibara hummed, pulling the girl towards him. "Yane-chin and I were in the same class last year. She's my friend."

"Oh," Momoi nodded. "Your girlfriend, right?"

"What?" Aomine cried, his head whipping around to look at the "couple". "Murasakibara's girlfriend? How can you have a boyfriend? Your brother nearly killed me for _talking_ to you!"

"I'm not…" the girl tried, her blush returning with a vengeance. She shook her head wildly, focusing on Momoi. "He's not my boyfriend!"

"Hm? But I thought we were friends," Murasakibara pouted.

"That's not what I meant, Atsushi-kun," the girl said.

"But you call each other by first name," Momoi pointed out with a deceptively sweet smile. "And you made him cookies. Of course you're his girlfriend."

"_How_?" Aomine demanded, a shocked look on his face.

"I'm not," the girl insisted. "Everyone calls me Ayane so they don't confuse me with my brother. And I call Atsushi-kun by his first name because his last name is so long and I didn't want to say it all the time. As for the cookies…I was baking yesterday and before I knew it, I had more cookies that I knew what to do with. So I brought some for Atsushi-kun."

"Yane-chin can bake very well," Murasakibara said with a sage nod. Then he tilted his head. "But for Yane-chin to bake so much…she must have been really upset."

"I don't want to talk about it," the girl mumbled, a dark shadow flaring above her briefly. She looked at Momoi pleadingly. "So, I'm not Atsushi-kun's girlfriend."

"I was about to say…" Aomine sighed, relaxing.

"Aw~, how boring," Momoi pouted. Then she looked at the girl again. "But since Mukkun and Aomine-kun know you…you really are Tetsu-kun's sister?"

"Yes," the girl nodded, slipping out of Murasakibara's grasp. "I'm Kuroko Ayane. It's nice to meet you."

"And you!" Momoi beamed, running up to the other girl and grasping her hands. "I'm Momoi Satsuki! I'm so excited to meet my future sister-in-law! I just know we're going to be great friends, Yane-chan!"

"Um…" Ayane managed, looking very confused. "I hope so, Momoi-san…"

"So formal, Satsuki is fine," Momoi chirped. Then she started bouncing. "But I can't believe I didn't know Tetsu-kun had a sister!"

"That's because Kuro-chin is scary," Murasakibara grumbled.

"Huh?" Momoi said, freezing. Kuroko was scary? She looked at the other two, only to find them nodding in confirmation.

"To say he's scary is putting it mildly," Aomine shuddered as he remembered being on the receiving end of the pale boy's wrath. "Tetsu's the definition of an overprotective older brother."

"If he knew I was friends with Atsushi-kun…" Ayane said, trailing off. Then she shook her head. "But he's only like that with boys. He doesn't mind girls."

"So then he wouldn't mind if we hung out after practice today?" Momoi asked eagerly as she started to bounce again. Ayane just looked at her in surprise. Momoi's smile widened. "I want to get to know you as soon as possible! There must be so much you can tell me about Tetsu-kun!"

"That should be fine," Ayane finally said, smiling as well. "Should I meet you by the gym then?"

"Perfect!" Momoi said, clapping her hands excitedly. "I already can't wait! See you after school, Yane-chan!"

And with that Momoi skipped away, leaving the other three to stare after her in exasperation. It was only when the bell rang signaling the end of lunch that Momoi remembered why she had been there in the first place.

"My notebook!" she wailed comically, falling to her knees in despair. A few people gave her strange looks, but no one said anything. Some things were better off a mystery…

* * *

><p>On the other side of the school, Kuroko sighed.<p>

"They know..." he mumbled, resting his head on his hand. He stared out the window, his eyes becoming fierce. "I'll just have to work even harder to protect Ayane-chan..."

The entire Generation of Miracles shivered, though none of them had heard the words. Things were going to be interesting from now on.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:<strong> And there we have it! Ayane has met the entire GoM! Geez that took a while...well, now I can move on to more interesting things. As always, thanks to everyone who has read/followed/favorited/reviewed! And an extra special thanks to **Tamani**, who has not only reviewed every chapter, but was the only review for the last one. *throws confetti* Thanks for your support! I'll see you guys next time!


	6. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer**: I don't own KnB. Just Ayane. Oh, and Hana.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 5—They Always Act Strange<strong>

Ayane was more than used to her brother's overprotective tendencies. After all, they had been around for as long as she could remember. And while there were times when she found them endearing, most of the time they were exasperating and over the top. She had only _one_ male friend, and that was only because she hadn't dared to tell Kuroko. Most boys were terrified to approach her, convinced she was cursed. Most of the time she didn't mind. But now she had a chance to change that. There were people who wanted to talk to her and get to know her. And they were her brother's friends. She wanted to get to know them, be a part of her brother's life.

And Kuroko was getting in the way of that, just as always.

The sound of the oven broke the silence of the kitchen. Still wrapped up in her thoughts, Ayane walked over and removed the pan, the cupcakes perfect. She straightened and turned to place the pan on the counter. As her eyes scanned the kitchen, Ayane finally returned to herself. And blinked in surprise.

"I might have gone a little overboard…" she murmured to herself in a small voice, still looking for somewhere to place her pan.

Ayane could proudly say she was an excellent baker. Or at least, that was what Murasakibara and Kuroko kept telling her, and she had no reason to doubt them. Despite that, it was rare for her to indulge. The only time she baked was when she was upset, the smells comforting for some reason. But even then it was usually reasonable and any extra she brought for Murasakibara.

However, this time it wouldn't be enough. The table was covered with stacks and stacks of cookies, cupcakes, and brownies. Every free inch of the counters had a pan with desserts still waiting to be removed. What little space wasn't occupied by desserts was a mess of baking supplies. Ayane herself could feel the flour still stuck to her fingers and was pretty sure there was batter in her bangs.

Apparently she was more upset than she thought.

"I'm home," she heard Kuroko's voice call from the entryway, followed by the sound of the front door closing. Ayane pressed her lips into a thin line and didn't reply. Instead she walked to the table and started to organize the small sweet shop on it. The pan was placed in an empty chair, quickly forgotten.

"Ayane-chan?" Kuroko said after a moment. Still Ayane didn't reply. She heard her brother's footsteps approach and stop in the doorway of the kitchen. Neither of them said anything, Ayane because she was ignoring him and Kuroko because he was observing the chaos his sister had created.

"Are we having a bake sale?" Kuroko finally asked. Ayane could hear the slightest tinge of amusement in his tone and frowned. This was not amusing. She was angry. He shouldn't find her anger _amusing_.

"No," Ayane said, refusing to look at him.

"Then why so many?" Kuroko replied. Already she could feel the concern seeping off him.

"I just felt like baking," Ayane shrugged carelessly, though she could feel her cheeks heating up slightly. She really hadn't meant to make so much…

"I see," Kuroko said. Silence again. "What are you going to do with it all?"

"I…" Ayane started, only to find nothing more to say. What _was_ she going to do with all of this? Her family certainly couldn't eat it all. Murasakibara might be able to make a significant dent in it, but she would have to get it to him and she couldn't think of a realistic way to manage that.

Her hands finally paused as she thought. The table, before a rather impressive pile of treats, now had some semblance of organization. It had been split into a few smaller, more manageable piles. Five, to be exact. Ayane stared at the piles, an idea forming at the edge of her mind. One pile was still significantly larger than the others. And one of them was so small, comparatively, that it could barely be called a pile. Ayane's thoughts jumped back to the reason she was baking in the first place and she gave a small clap of triumph.

"I'm going to give it to your teammates," she said, finally turning towards her brother. Kuroko was staring at her in what could only be described as absolute shock. His eyes were wide and his mouth was opened slightly. He looked a bit ridiculous, but it served him right. This was all his fault anyway.

"You're going to do what?" he managed, his shock fading slightly.

"I'm going to give it to your teammates," Ayane repeated. Then she corrected herself. "Your friends, I mean."

"Why?" Kuroko asked after a moment.

"What do you mean, why?" Ayane huffed, her mind racing for a reason. "It should be obvious."

"It isn't," Kuroko said quickly. Ayane felt a twinge of annoyance. What, did he think she was going to ask one of them to marry her? All she wanted to do was get rid of it all…

"It's an apology," Ayane shouted suddenly, her loud voice seeming out of place.

"An apology?" Kuroko repeated, looking at her strangely. "For what?"

"For _you_, obviously," Ayane grumbled, returning to her stacks.

"What did I do?" Kuroko said in surprise. Ayane eyed him darkly.

"What do you mean, what did you do?" she sighed. "You know _exactly_ what you did."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Kuroko said innocently, his expression even blanker than usual to hide his thoughts. Ayane wasn't fooled.

"Really?" Ayane said, placing a hand on her hip. "You have no idea why your friends are acting so strange?"

"They always act strange," Kuroko shrugged.

Ayane stared at him in disbelief, her mind drifting to the various encounters she had had with them over the past week.

* * *

><p><em> "Hey, Ayane, look," Hana said, pointing to the other end of the hallway.<em>

_ Ayane, naturally, looked. Standing next to the stairs, looking absolutely torn, was Kise. He would take a step up the stairs, and then remove his foot as if it were on fire. Every few repetitions his head would twist this way and that, as if looking for someone. The two girls exchanged looks before approaching the blonde._

_ "Um, Kise-kun?" Ayane tried when they were within range. Kise jumped a foot in the air, whirling around in fear. He relaxed when he saw the small bluenette._

_ "Ayane-chan!" Kise cried in despair, lunging forward for a hug._

_ "Oh no you don't," Hana said, grabbing his collar. "No, down boy!"_

_ "Urk!" Kise choked out. His arms fell back to his sides and Ayane stepped neatly out of range. The blonde turned towards Hana with a sniffle. "So mean, Hana-chan~."_

_ "Yeah, yeah," Hana sighed, letting go. She crossed her arms and gave him a stern look. "Now what has you acting like more of a spaz than usual?"_

_ "It's terrible!" Kise yelled, tears forming in his eyes. "I've been cursed!"_

_ "Cursed?" Ayane repeated with wide eyes. Even Hana seemed surprised._

_ "Yes!" Kise said dramatically, making wide gestures. "I got a note in my locker yesterday telling me I was cursed. At the time I thought it was ridiculous, but then I got another one today! And then another in my desk, and then there was one on the door of my classroom, and then…"_

_ "Okay, we get it," Hana cut in. "So?"_

_ "So I'm gonna die!" Kise wailed. With that he threw himself at a surprised Hana, now sobbing into her shoulder. As Hana tried desperately to extricate herself, Ayane sighed. She knew what was going on. The familiar gaze she could feel on her back was more than enough proof._

* * *

><p><em> Ayane rounded the corner quickly, still hoping to make it back to class on time.<em>

_ "Oof!" she grunted as she ran into something solid. She started to fall, only to be caught instead. She blinked at the tanned hand now gripping her arm, knowing it was familiar. She tilted her head back to look at her rescuer's face, only instead to see the back of a dark blue head._

_ "…Aomine-kun?" Ayane said hesitantly. Aomine's head whipped around immediately. Ayane flinched slightly in surprise. His eyes were wide and he was breathing rather hard. In fact, he looked afraid. "Aomine-kun, are you all right?"_

_ "What? Oh, I'm…" Aomine tried. He took a deep breath and shook his head. "It's nothing, I'm fine."_

_ "Are you sure?" Ayane tried again. He certainly didn't look fine to her…_

_ "Yeah," Aomine said, forcing a grin. "You know that feeling you get, like someone's watching you? I've got it and it won't go away. Just a little jumpy, I guess." Ayane heard the faintest laugh from somewhere behind Aomine. Aomine heard it too, though he did his best not to show it._

_ "I see," Ayane said in a monotone, recognizing the laugh. "Well, just be careful."_

_ "No problem," Aomine nodded. "I'll get going then."_

_ "Okay," Ayane said. The two of them stood there for a moment, staring at each other. Then Ayane sighed. "Aomine-kun, you have to let go of my arm…"_

_ "Oh, right, sorry," Aomine said, letting go quickly. They said their goodbyes again and went their separate ways. Ayane didn't know if Aomine could feel it, but she could definitely sense a very dark aura following after the tall male. She sighed again. Poor Aomine…_

* * *

><p><em> "Yane-chin~," Ayane heard a voice whine. She turned around in surprise. Though they were friends, Murasakibara rarely made any attempt to talk to her. It was one of the reasons he was still alive <em>to_ talk to her._

_ "Atsushi-kun," Ayane said, tilting her head back as far as she could manage to look at him. "What's wrong?"_

_ "I'm sick," Murasakibara mumbled._

_ "Oh?" Ayane blinked, confused. Murasakibara looked strained, certainly, but she wouldn't say he looked ill. "Well, have you gone to the nurse?"_

_ "No," the giant said. "The nurse is the one who told me I'm sick."_

_ "Then…" Ayane started, unable to find anything to say. "How…I mean, what did she tell you?"_

_ "That she got a note from my parents," Murasakibara said. His normally half-lidded eyes opened wide and he looked absolutely horrified. "She said it said I was diabetic. She said I couldn't eat any more snacks. She said it was bad for me. Yane-chin…"_

_ Murasakibara gave a sniffle and rested his head on Ayane's shoulder. Given the height difference between them, it couldn't be comfortable for him. Yet he seemed content to stay there for a while, sniffling every once in a while. Ayane gave him an awkward pat on the shoulder, unsure of what else to do. From somewhere close by she felt a sudden flare of darkness. She gave a sigh of irritation. This was getting ridiculous._

_ "Atsushi-kun, it's okay," she said soothingly. "I'm sure it was just a mistake. Give it a couple of days and she'll forget all about it."_

_ "But she's not the problem," Murasakibara said, his voice muffled. "A couple of the people who bring me snacks overheard. Now everyone knows and they've all agreed to make sure I don't eat any…"_

_ Ayane resisted the urge to clap a hand to her forehead as she felt Murasakibara begin to cry. This was definitely ridiculous. And maybe the slightest bit impressive._

* * *

><p><em> Ayane and Hana walked through the gate, talking amongst themselves. They were only a few feet in when Ayane paused. Standing just inside the gate was Midorima. The main reason she paused was that she knew practice had already begun for the morning. Midorima should be there, just like the others. Ayane opened her mouth to call out to him, only to pause as she continued to stare at him.<em>

_ Midorima had always seemed to be a calm and collected individual. The basket case she was currently looking at was anything but that. His hair was sticking up in all directions, his glasses askew, and his uniform a wrinkled mess. His fingers were twitching uncontrollably and he was shaking. Something was definitely wrong._

_ "Midori…" Ayane started, taking a step towards him. Hana stopped her, grabbing her shoulder._

_ "No, I don't think so, Ayane," Hana said with a shake of her head._

_ "But Hana-chan, look at him," Ayane insisted. "We have to help him."_

_ "Fine," Hana finally sighed. Ayane tried to approach him again, but Hana refused to let go. "But we're helping from here."_

_ "But…" Ayane protested, only to be ignored._

_ "Oi, Midorima," Hana called. The boy in question slowly turned towards them, still obviously jittery. "You okay?"_

_ "No, no, not okay," Midorima forced out. "Can't be okay, it's not okay, definitely not okay…"_

_ "What's wrong, Midorima-kun?" Ayane asked urgently, suddenly very worried. "What happened?"_

_ "I don't have it," Midorima replied, his fingers twitching faster. "I tried to get it, but I couldn't. I don't have it."_

_ "Don't have what?" Ayane insisted, trying to step closer. Hana's grip tightened, whether intentionally or out of fear Ayane didn't know. Either way she couldn't get any closer._

_ "My lucky item!" Midorima shouted. The girls jumped in surprise and Midorima began pacing. "I stopped by the shop to get it, but it wasn't there! There wasn't anything! It's been three days! Three days…" He continued to mumble to himself inaudibly, still pacing. The girls traded looks._

_ "Okay then," Hana swallowed. "Let's head in."_

_ "But Midorima-kun…" Ayane protested._

_ "Is suffering a psychotic break," Hana said soothingly. "I'm sure he'll be fine in a while."_

_ Ayane allowed herself to be pushed towards the school, though she had a feeling it wasn't by chance that Midorima couldn't find his items. With everything else going on this week, she thought there was a better chance of pigs flying._

* * *

><p><em> "Are you sure you can come with me?" Ayane asked for what felt like the hundredth time. "Don't you have practice?"<em>

_ "It's fine," Kuroko shrugged, shifting his bag slightly. "Besides, we have to shop for dinner."_

_ "If you say so…" Ayane said doubtfully. From everything her brother had told her about Akashi, not to mention her own experiences with him, she found it strange that he would just let her brother skip practice. But it wasn't like Kuroko to lie to her, so…_

_ "Kuroko, wait," she heard a voice call from behind them. Ayane paused, turning to look. Akashi himself was standing a short distance away. Ayane blinked in surprise. _

_ "Akashi-kun?" she said, automatically turning towards her brother. If his captain was here, then he had to go, right? Yet to her surprise, Kuroko was still walking. "Tetsuya, wait, Akashi-kun is…" Finally Kuroko stopped, turning to look at her._

_ "Ayane-chan, let's go," Kuroko said. He didn't look away from her._

_ "But Akashi-kun is…" Ayane tried, glancing back towards the redhead. Now that she was looking at him, she could see how pale and drained he looked. The usual arrogant manner she hated so much was missing. Instead he seemed completely hopeless, like there was no life in him. He was a zombie. And frankly it was creeping her out._

_ "We need to hurry if we want to get dinner," Kuroko continued, as if Ayane hadn't spoken._

_ Ayane glanced between the two, finally understanding. Her brother was ignoring Akashi. Normally that wouldn't bother her. Except there was everything else, plus zombie-Akashi. She sighed in annoyance and shot Akashi a sympathetic look before joining her brother._

* * *

><p>"I don't think so," Ayane finally said, returning to the present. She frowned to her brother sternly. "They're your <em>friends<em>, Tetsuya. What you're doing to them is almost cruel."

"But…" Kuroko tried.

"No buts," Ayane interrupted. She pointed to the piles. "You are going to help me separate these out and then give them to your friends. And _apologize_."

"But…" Kuroko said again.

"Tetsuya," Ayane said warningly. "I mean it. You will apologize. Tomorrow." The twins stared at each other for a long moment, waiting to see which one would surrender first. It wasn't a surprise when Kuroko finally sighed.

"Fine, I'll help," he said grudgingly. "But afterwards…"

"No, no more," Ayane insisted. "They're your friends. And I want them to be my friends too. So _no_."

"Okay, okay," Kuroko relented. He surveyed the piles curiously. "Why is that one so big?"

"That's Atsushi-kun's," Ayane said easily. "He deserves it, after not having any for a week."

"Right," Kuroko allowed. He pointed to the smaller one. "And that one?"

"That's Akashi-kun's," Ayane admitted reluctantly. Kuroko gave her a look. "What? I may not like him, but zombie-Akashi is creepy. I feel bad for him."

"I don't think he'll eat them," Kuroko said with a small smile as he started sorting.

"Too bad, he's getting them anyway," Ayane said with a laugh as she joined him.

And with that, Kuroko's overprotective tendencies were put to rest…mostly.

* * *

><p><strong>AN<strong>: So...it's been a while! But, I finally wrote it! The scene in the beginning was actually one of the very first I thought of, so it's nice to get it written. And the flashbacks were fun. Midorima's was my personal favorite. Anyway, thanks to everyone who has read/followed/favorited/reviewed. As always, it means a lot. And another thing! If you guys have any ideas, or any particular scenes you would like to see, I would love to hear them. I have some ideas, but you can never have too many! And with that, I think I'll let you guys go! I hope to see you next time!


	7. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer**: I don't own KnB, just Ayane.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 6—I Think We Should Run Faster<strong>

Ayane woke up to sunlight burning her eyelids and the smell of sweets filling her nose. She gave a sleepy murmur before burying her head further into her arms in hopes of blocking out the light. She could hear her brother's steady breathing from nearby, reassuring her that there was no need to get up just yet. Her own breathing started to even out again as her consciousness began to fade. Then one thought appeared disturbingly clear in her mind.

Why was her brother sleeping in her room?

At that, Ayane reluctantly lifted her head, blinking her eyes blearily. The first thing she became aware of was how much her back hurt. She must have slept in an extraordinarily uncomfortable position. The second thing she noticed was how truly awful Kuroko's bedhead was. How did it get like that anyway? She knew from experience he didn't move much in his sleep. Yet every morning, without fail, random tufts stood up at all kinds of strange angles, most of them defying gravity. After staring at it blankly for a moment, she shrugged, deciding to simply be grateful her own hair wasn't the same.

"Hey, Tetsuya," she yawned, poking one of Kuroko's shoulders. "Hey, wake up."

"Huh?" Kuroko snuffled, sitting up almost immediately. He stared at Ayane in confusion, tilting his head to the side. "Ayane-chan? Good morning…"

"Good morning," Ayane said automatically. She was quiet for a moment. "Tetsuya, why are you sleeping in my room?"

"Your room?" Tetsuya repeated. "Isn't this my room?"

Ayane opened her mouth to reply, only to close it again in confusion. The twins stared at each other for a moment before choosing to instead look at their surroundings. Rather than either of their bedrooms, the two of them were seated at the kitchen table. As her eyes passed over an impressively large pile of sweets, Ayane finally remembered. She and Kuroko had been preparing the sweets for his friends. If she remembered correctly, they had been icing the cupcakes before sleep had claimed them.

"So that's why my back hurts so much," Ayane sighed, stretching her arms over her head in hopes of relieving some of the pain. Now a bit more awake, she glanced at Kuroko again. And couldn't help a giggle. "Tetsuya, I think there's a cupcake on your face…"

"What?" Kuroko said, a hand automatically darting to his face. Finding that one was indeed squished to his cheek, Kuroko removed it with a slight frown. Ayane wondered if she should tell him about the icing that was now left behind. Before she came to a decision, Kuroko nodded in her direction. "Ayane-chan, isn't that icing in your hair?"

"Eh, really?" Ayane cried, lifting one of her pigtails for examination. Just as her brother had said, icing was smeared across the powder blue locks. Ayane sighed, letting her hair slip through her fingers. "I guess I'll have to get a shower before school then…what time is it, anyway?"

"Almost seven," Kuroko replied absently.

"Ah," Ayane said with a nod.

The two of them sat in a comfortable silence for a moment before trading wide-eyed looks. Kuroko had practice at seven thirty. In a very un-Kuroko-like fashion, the two of them began running around the house like madmen in an attempt to get ready for school. They dashed out the door only ten minutes later, a feat they wouldn't have time until much later to be impressed by.

"Ah, Ayane-chan," Kuroko forced out as they ran, suddenly remembering the reason they were late. "What about the sweets?"

"No time," Ayane replied quickly. "There's no way we could get all of it to school in time."

"…Does that mean I don't have to apologize?" Kuroko asked after a moment, a hint of hope in his voice.

"Absolutely not," Ayane deadpanned. The two of them ran in silence for a few moments. "Tetsuya…did you remember your homework?"

"Um…no, I don't think I did," Kuroko said, sounding slightly surprised. He had been the one to remind Ayane that it needed to be done, forcing them to take a break from the sweets. "Did you remember yours?"

"Only just now" Ayane replied sheepishly. She thought to herself for a moment. "Should we go back?"

"What time is it?" Kuroko puffed, considering.

"…Seven twenty," Ayane said after a small pause.

"…I think we should run faster."

* * *

><p>"What is <em>wrong<em> with all of you?" Momoi shouted, unable to decide whether she wanted to cry or break her clipboard over each and every one of their heads. No one gave a reply, but she wasn't really expecting one. The members of the Generation of Miracles had their quirks, certainly, but this was ridiculous.

Kise was currently curled up in a small ball in the corner, fear for his life keeping him there. She had tried, more than once, to convince him there was no curse. But Kise was Kise and her rationality had fallen on deaf ears.

Aomine jumped at every small sound and kept looking around for…something, she didn't really know what. When Momoi asked, he said it was nothing. But every once in a while he would mumble something about a stalker or, more recently, a ghost. Both were impossible, but it didn't stop his paranoia.

Murasakibara was sprawled across the floor, not having any energy to stand. His complexion had become ashen and his movements even more lethargic than usual. She had heard about his diagnosis, but hadn't managed to talk to him about it. Anytime anyone even _mentioned_ the word "sweets", he burst into tears, making conversation impossible.

Midorima was sitting cross-legged on the floor, rocking back and forth as he clutched his lucky item, today apparently a pink butterfly scepter, close. He at least looked like he might recover sometime soon. He was a bit more put together than he had been the past few days and he wasn't talking to himself anymore. Momoi couldn't believe the presence of one random, "lucky" item could have such a huge effect on a person.

And worst of all was Akashi. The almighty captain of the Generation of Miracles looked like he had had the soul sucked out of him. He was pale, paler than Kuroko even, and had visibly lost weight. His eyes were completely blank, making the dark circles under them even more obvious, and he reacted to nothing. Momoi even saw him run into a wall…three times. He was practically a shell.

And Kuroko, the only one to have remained _sane_, wasn't here yet. Momoi heaved a sigh of frustration as she checked her watch. It wasn't like him to be late. Was it possible that whatever insanity was infecting the others had finally reached Kuroko? Momoi could only hope that wasn't the case. She wasn't sure what she'd do if _all_ of them went insane…

The doors to the gym slammed open, jerking Momoi from her thoughts. Her eyes widened in surprise as she watched the Kuroko twins stumble in, both of them collapsing to the floor only a few feet in. The sound of their ragged breathing filled the gym, drawing the attention of even the mostly-incapacitated Generation of Miracles.

"Time?" Kuroko panted, looking at his sister.

"Seven thirty-three," Ayane replied, brushing loose strands of her hair from her sweat-drenched face.

"Thank goodness," Kuroko sighed, relaxing slightly. Ayane managed a breathless laugh before she continued to try and catch her breath.

"Um, Tetsu-kun, Yane-chan," Momoi tried, approaching them uncertainly. "What happened, are you two all right?"

She felt ridiculous even asking. Of _course_ they weren't okay. They both looked like they had just run a marathon, which, given their poor stamina, couldn't have been easy. Their uniforms were uncharacteristically rumpled and Kuroko didn't even have his jacket. Their hair wasn't any better. Kuroko's looked like a bird or something had tried to nest in it and Ayane's was tangled around her shoulders, loose from its usual pigtails and seemingly wet. If Momoi didn't know better, she would have thought they had been running for their lives. It was impossible, of course, but considering the way the everyone else was acting…

"Ah, good morning, Momoi-san," Kuroko said, glancing up at her. "Don't worry, we're fine."

"We just overslept," Ayane added, giving Momoi a smile. "And good morning."

"Good morning…" Momoi managed, blinking. Then she put her hands on her hips and scowled. "You _overslept_? That's it? Do you know how worried I was, seeing you two barely able to stand? I thought something terrible had happened to you!"

"Sorry," the twins said simultaneously, Ayane looking appropriately apologetic for both of them.

"Oh, whatever," Momoi huffed as she crossed her arms, her anger fading. "I'm just glad you two are okay."

"If you'll excuse me, I'll go get ready for practice," Kuroko said when he could finally breath, forcing himself back to his feet.

"Wait, Tetsuya," Ayane said, her hand darting out to grab her brother's wrist. "Don't you have something to say first?"

"Now?" Kuroko said, his voice the closest to a whine Momoi had ever heard. His eyes darted unwillingly towards his teammates, all of whom were watching them with various blank expressions.

"I think Satsuki-chan would appreciate it," Ayane said with deceptive sweetness. "And besides, they look worse than we do." Kuroko eyed his sister for a moment before sighing in defeat.

"Very well then," he said. Momoi watched in confusion as he approached his teammates, stopping a few feet away from them. He took a deep breath. "Everyone, I have something to tell you.

"Kise-kun, I wrote all those notes. I didn't think you would take them so seriously. I apologize.

"Aomine-kun, I have been following you secretly for the past week. I thought you would catch on, seeing as how well you know my abilities. I apologize.

"Murasakibara-kun, I sent that note to the nurse. I didn't account for the possibility of your fans standing outside the door. I apologize.

"Midorima-kun, I have been stopping by the store you frequent to purchase your lucky item before you could. I hope you will recover from the trauma soon. I apologize.

"And Akashi-kun…I'm sorry."

Kuroko listed off each of his offenses with his usual monotone, accenting each apology with a deep bow to the offended party. The further he got down the list, the quieter his voice became. By the time he reached Akashi, it was barely a whisper. It also seemed to be the one he regretted the most. Momoi couldn't decide if she was angry, impressed, or touched. Maybe it was a combination of all three.

"Ah, and I apologize to you too, Momoi-san, for causing you so much trouble," Kuroko added, bowing to her as well.

"Ah, no, it's…" Momoi started, waving her hands wildly. She wanted to say it was all right, but who was she kidding? It had been a week from hell and, apparently, it was all Kuroko's fault. As much as she loved him, it would be a while before she forgave him for this. Even as she came to this conclusion, the Generation of Miracles finally absorbed everything Kuroko had just said.

"Eh? You mean _Kurokocchi_ was the one cursing me?" Kise wailed with watery eyes. "So mean, Kurokocchi~!"

"What do you mean, following me secretly, ya jerk!" Aomine growled, grabbing Kuroko and putting him in a headlock. "I seriously thought I had a stalker!"

"So this means I can have snacks again?" Murasakibara asked hopefully, sitting up from the floor.

"What trauma? I'm perfectly fine," Midorima huffed as he adjusted his glasses. No one was cruel enough to disagree with him.

"As…touching as all this is," Akashi drawled, stepping forward. The fire had returned to his eyes and, even looking as terrible as he did, his usual commanding presence had returned. "I'm afraid I do have to ask. What did we do to deserve your wrath?"

Six pairs of multicolored eyes locked on Kuroko, who was still being held in a headlock. Kuroko opened his mouth slightly, hesitating. A whole minute passed in silence as everyone waited for the answer. Kuroko finally just gave a small sigh, his eyes darting to Momoi's left.

Momoi turned to see Ayane coming to stand next to her, having finally recovered as well. Momoi looked between the twins for a moment, trying to decide if Kuroko had been asking for his sister's assistance or if she was the answer. Then she remembered what she had been told back when she first met Ayane. "_Kuro-chin is scary._" Kuroko was the textbook definition of an overprotective brother. And now his entire team had met his precious sister. Of course he would act on that. Momoi just shook her head as she tried to hide a smile. The boys were in for a world of pain if anything happened to Ayane.

"…I see," Akashi said suddenly. Apparently the movement of Kuroko's eyes hadn't gone unnoticed by him either. Though his reaction was far different from Momoi's. He was currently glaring holes into Ayane's head, who just smiled back sweetly. He finally snapped his attention back to his team. "And what are you all doing just standing around? We have practice. Kuroko, go get changed. Your menu is doubled for the next week."

"Yes, Akashi-kun," Kuroko said as he wriggled out of Aomine's grasp. The Generation of Miracles began to move, none of them willing to further anger the newly returned Akashi.

"Ah, I almost forgot," Ayane said suddenly, making all of them pause. She offered everyone a smile. "Since everyone has had such a horrible week, I made sweets for all of you. I would have brought them this morning, but since we were running late…" There was a long moment of silence.

"Yane-chin, I love you," Murasakibara said very seriously, pulling Ayane in for a sudden hug.

"Aw, how sweet!" Kise cried joyfully, hugging Ayane as well. "Thank you, Ayane-chan!"

"Kise-chin, let go of Yane-chin or I'll crush you," Murasakibara growled as he tried to shift her away from the blonde.

"Eh, how come?" Kise pouted, tugging Ayane back. "I wanna hug Ayane-chan too."

"Both of you _let go of her_," a voice said from behind them. Murasakibara and Kise both froze as the blood drained from their faces. They slowly turned their heads to see Kuroko standing behind them, surrounded by an aura that belonged in their darkest nightmares. Without a second thought, they relinquished their hold and the aura diminished.

"Damn, Tetsu's scary," Aomine sighed. "But that's what you get for forgetting."

"No fair," Kise muttered as he crossed his arms. Murasakibara didn't say anything, though he did look at Ayane apologetically.

"Tetsuya, what did I say?" Ayane scolded. "Anyway, it's the least I can do after everything Tetsuya has put you through because of me."

"Kuroko, I thought I told you to get changed," Akashi snapped. "And Kuroko-san, I appreciate the gesture, but I will have to decline."

"Oh, is that so?" Ayane said absently. The two of them refused to look at each other, but the temperature in the room was still dropping.

"So, ah, about the sweets…" Midorima finally said, breaking the silence.

"Ah, right," Ayane said, glancing at the other four. She tapped her chin in thought. "Since I couldn't bring it with me this morning…why don't you all stop by the house today after school?"

"What?" Kuroko said from across the gym.

"What?" Aomine said, knowing from experience that people didn't _go_ to Kuroko's house. Then again, that was probably to keep them from Ayane.

"Really?" Murasakibara said with wide eyes. He had lost track of how many times he had tried to go to Ayane's house for sweets, only to be turned down. It was like a dream come true.

"I've changed my mind," Akashi said quickly, his eyes glowing in eagerness. "I would be delighted to accept your gift."

"Can I come too?" Momoi asked excitedly.

"Of course!" Ayane beamed. "Then it's settled. We'll all go to my house after practice this afternoon." As the Generation of Miracles let out an excited cheer, Kuroko proceeded to bang his head lightly against the wall. Momoi felt a small sliver of pity for him even as she cheered. Being an overprotective brother couldn't exactly be easy…especially when his sister kept undermining all his hard work.

* * *

><p><strong>AN<strong>: So here it is, the next chapter. To be perfectly honest, I didn't expect you all to want to _see_ them get the cookies...so it took a little longer than expected to write. But I finally had a bit of inspiration! I think my favorite part was Murasakibara and Kise fighting over Ayane. Let's see...I'd like to give an extra special thank you to **Xylenia**, who gave a very lovely review. I'm glad you like Ayane! And guess what guys! I have over a hundred followers for this story! *throws confetti* Thank you very much to everyone who's following, along with all you readers, favoriters, and reviewers. All your support is much appreciated! Next chapter will most likely be a visit to the Kuroko household, so I hope to see you then!


	8. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer**: I don't own KnB. Just Ayane. Oh, and Hana

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 7—This is a Supply Closet<strong>

"Ever-Victorious".

The motto of Teikou Junior High. A motto that all students attending took to heart and none more so than the basketball club. Every school day began and was followed by hours of grueling practice. Any loss, no matter how small, was met with even more practice. The members of the club usually stumbled home afterwards and collapsed on their beds. In short, it was exhausting. Yet in a way the members, especially the first string, had grown used to it and thought the long hours would continue until the world ended.

But there was a first time for everything.

"All right, that's enough for today," Akashi called about an hour earlier than usual.

"What?" four voices cried out in perfect sync.

To say the Generation of Miracles was surprised would have been the understatement of the century. Midorima froze in the middle of making a shot, the ball awkwardly slipping through his fingers. Aomine skidded to an ungraceful halt on the other side of the gym and, after tripping over his own feet, headed back towards his captain. At the same time, Kise, who had been staring at Akashi in absolute shock instead of watching where he was going, plowed straight into the greenette. The two of them began to fall backwards…directly onto Aomine. He threw out his hands instinctively to catch himself. Finding something solid instead of just air, he grabbed on without thinking. The solid thing turned out to be Murasakibara, newly returned from his own position on the court. Unprepared for the sudden weight of three of his teammates, Murasakibara was dragged down as well. The four of them hit the ground with a loud crash that was quickly followed by pained groans.

"What are you all doing?" Akashi asked. He eyed the colorful dog-pile at his feet in annoyance. "We don't have time for this."

"Sorry Aka-chin," Murasakibara apologized from his position at the top of the pile.

"It's not like I did this on purpose!" Kise wailed, flailing in arms in emphasis.

"Would you quit that!" Midorima hissed, jerking his head out of Kise's reach.

"Ouch! Damn it, quit moving will ya!" Aomine wheezed from the bottom. "No, wait, I take that back. Get the hell off of me!"

"Aomine, Kise, Midorima, Murasakibara," Akashi said in a low voice. All four boys fell silent immediately. "Get up. Now." The Generation of Miracles scrambled back to their feet in record time, all looking rather sheepish. Akashi just sighed. "Now hurry up and get ready. I don't want to waste anymore time."

"Uh, okay…" Aomine said, glancing at the others in confusion. Kise offered him a shrug. "What, uh, exactly are we getting ready for?"

"Don't tell me you all forgot," Akashi said with a light laugh. The others took a small step back and resisted the sudden urge to run in the opposite direction. "You were all so excited this morning."

"Ah!" Murasakibara gasped. The other three turned towards him. "Yane-chin!"

"We're going to Kurokocchi's!" Kise cried in a voice closer to a squeal than most males could manage. He started bouncing up and down in excitement. "We finally get to see Kurokocchi's house! I can't believe I forgot about this! I'm so excited!"

"What are we waiting for!" Aomine shouted as he headed towards the locker room at a quick jog.

"Finally…" Akashi muttered as he followed.

"Wait," Midorima called. Everyone paused and glanced back at him in annoyance. Midorima cleared his throat awkwardly and adjusted his glasses before continuing. "As…excited as I'm sure you all are, there's just one small problem."

"And what would that be?" Akashi demanded.

"Kuroko isn't here," Midorima said simply.

"Huh? Kurokocchi's gone?" Kise blinked.

"How the hell does he manage that?" Aomine growled. Then he started looking around the gym "Oi. Tetsu! Where are you?" Kise and Murasakibara soon followed his lead, peering into every corner of the empty gym trying to find the phantom player.

"This is ridiculous…" Akashi said through gritted teeth. He whirled on Midorima. "Where did Kuroko go?"

Midorima, unfortunately, didn't have an answer.

* * *

><p>Kuroko paused as he made his way down the hallway, glancing over his shoulder uncertainly. He could have sworn he heard someone calling his name. But the hallway was empty save for him. Kuroko heaved a small sigh and shook his head. He didn't have time for this anyway. He still had a very important task to complete.<p>

He had to try and talk sense into his sister.

Ayane and Kuroko rarely disagreed with each other; that was just the way they had always been, ever since they were children. Kuroko could count on one hand the number of actual fights the two of them had gotten into over the years. And on those rare occasions, Kuroko usually agreed with Ayane _eventually_. More often than not, she was right. But this…_this_ was something he didn't see himself agreeing with any time soon. There was _no way_ he was going to let his teammates spend time with his sister…or enter his house, but that was far less important.

So now he just had to take on the monumental task of convincing Ayane that, for once, _he_ was right.

Kuroko finally reached Ayane's classroom and entered silently. Ayane and Hana were the only two still present, which wasn't unusual for this time of day, and engrossed in a rather lively conversation. Kuroko didn't pay too much attention to what they were saying as he approached. When he stood directly next to Hana, he cleared his throat.

"Holy…!" Hana shouted, jumping about a foot in the air. She whirled around to look at him. "Dang it Tetsuya, could you _not _do that?"

"Ah, Tetsuya," Ayane said with a welcoming smile. Her obvious calm suggested she had been aware of his presence the entire time, though she had given no indication of it. "Is practice over then? Are they waiting for us?" Kuroko felt a stab of irritation at her words, though his face remained perfectly blank.

"Wait, you were serious about having them over?" Hana asked, glancing at her friend. Then she pointed at Kuroko. "And he _agreed_? Did Hell just freeze over or something?"

"If you'll excuse me, Nobuki-san, I need to speak with Ayane-chan for a moment," Kuroko said politely as he grabbed onto Ayane's wrist.

"Wait, Tetsuya, where are we—ah, my bag!" Ayane cried as she was unceremoniously dragged out the door.

"I'm sure Nobuki-san will grab it for you," he said calmly as he adjusted his grip.

"But…where are we going?" Ayane asked in confusion. Kuroko didn't reply right away, instead allowing his eyes to dart over the hallway as if looking for something.

"Ah, here will suffice," Kuroko said when he finally found an open door. In all honesty he had no idea what the room was, but it would suit his purposes just fine. He dragged his sister in behind him and shut the door quickly, engulfing them both in darkness. Before Kuroko could do anything more, there was a click and the small room was filled with light. Ayane stood before him with an annoyed look on her face.

"Tetsuya," Ayane began, releasing the cord she had just pulled and lowering her arm slowly. "This is a supply closet."

"Ah," Kuroko managed as his eyes traveled over the brooms, mops, and buckets that filled the room. "So it is."

"Why are we in a supply closet?" Ayane asked, crossing her arms.

"I didn't mean to bring you to a supply closet," Kuroko said after a moment. "But I do need to speak with you."

"About?" Ayane pressed.

"Your…invitation to my teammates," Kuroko sighed. Ayane opened her mouth to speak, only to be stopped by Kuroko's raised hand. "I understand what you are trying to do and know you only have the best intentions, but I believe it to be unnecessary. After all, they are my responsibility, not yours. Any further apology I will handle. So—"

"This isn't just an apology, Tetsuya," Ayane snapped. Kuroko blinked at her in surprise. She closed her eyes for a moment before continuing. "I told you before. I want them to be my friends too. I just want to talk to them. I don't have class with any of them and I'm not a part of the basketball club, so the only time I can really talk to them is after school. That's why—"

"But _why_?" Kuroko interrupted, talking a step closer. "Why them? They're…"

"Boys?" Ayane finished with a raised brow. Kuroko didn't say anything further, instead looking away. Ayane gave a small sigh before taking her brother's hands in her own. "Look, I know you're trying to protect me. But you can't spend your whole life keeping me from boys. You know that, right?"

"I can try," Kuroko muttered sullenly.

"Tetsuya, look at me," Ayane insisted. Kuroko reluctantly raised his head to look into her blue eyes, the exact same eyes that he saw in the mirror every day. "They're your friends, right?"

"Yes," Kuroko said unwillingly.

"And you like them?"

"Yes."

"And you trust them?"

"…For the most part."

"Then let me get to know them," Ayane begged. "Is it so wrong to want to be friends with your friends? And even if something _does_ go wrong, you'll be right there. So _please_ Tetsuya?" Ayane looked at him with huge eyes, silently pleading with him. Kuroko stared at her for a long moment, hesitating. Finally he gave a defeated sigh.

"All right," he said. He would let Ayane spend time with his teammates. But it would always be with his supervision and the minute, the very _second_, one of them hurt her…well, let's just say the past week would look like a walk in the park.

"Thank you!" Ayane beamed as she threw her arms around him. Kuroko returned the hug, almost refusing to let go. But he did and she looked up at him with a bright smile. "Then we better get going. I don't want to keep everyone waiting."

She reached for the door and tried to open it. Only the door remained firmly shut. The next few minutes were filled with various attempt to jiggle, coax, shake, and force the door open by both twins. Finally they just stood there staring at the door, both of them panting slightly.

"The door is locked," Ayane stated. "The door is _locked_, Tetsuya."

"I can see that," Kuroko practically growled. Ayane eyed him suspiciously. "_I_ didn't lock it. Why would I lock myself in a supply closet?"

"…Good point," Ayane allowed. She glared at the door for a moment. "So what are we going to do?"

"We can call one of the others," Kuroko suggested. "They all have phones."

"Right!" Ayane said with a clap of her hands. The twins stared at each other in silence. Finally Ayane frowned. "Aren't you going to call?"

"My phone is in the locker room," Kuroko explained. "I didn't think I would need it. Why don't you call?"

"You pulled me out of the classroom so suddenly I left my bag," Ayane said slowly. Kuroko blinked at her, unsure of her point. "My phone was in it. I don't have it."

"Ah," Kuroko managed. He turned his attention back to the door. "Then I suppose we'll have to wait for the janitor."

"I suppose," Ayane sighed as she sat down on one of the buckets. She rested her chin in her hands, obviously dissatisfied with the situation. "But what about Hana-chan and the others?"

"They'll wait," Kuroko shrugged. "Or go home. We can explain tomorrow."

Even as he said those words, Kuroko wondered if it would really be that simple.

* * *

><p>"Hey!" Hana called as she turned a corner. A collection of rainbow colored heads turned towards her, all of them looking distinctly annoyed. Hana ignored that and approached them. "Have any of you seen Ayane?"<p>

"Ah, is she missing too?" Midorima asked as he adjusted his glasses.

"Missing?" Hana repeated. She couldn't count the number of times Kuroko had been "missing", only to be right in front of everyone the whole time. Considering the people who made up the Generation of Miracles, she wouldn't have been surprised if that was the case.

"Kurokocchi's missing," Kise wailed, looking close to tears. "We've been looking _everywhere_ for him but we can't find him!" So Kuroko actually had wandered off…Hana adjusted Ayane's bag uncertainly, a bit worried all of a sudden.

"And we have plans, so it's imperative we find him quickly," Akashi continued, practically glaring at Hana. "So no, we haven't seen Kuroko-san."

"Tetsuya took Ayane somewhere about twenty minutes ago," Hana told them. "When they didn't come back, I just assumed they had come to meet you guys…"

"Well they aren't here," Aomine snapped. He ran a hand through his hair and heaved an annoyed sigh. "Great, now _both_ Kurokos are missing…"

"Where could they have gone?" Momoi asked worriedly, looking at everyone in turn for an answer. There was a long moment of silence before Akashi turned towards Hana.

"Nobuki-san, you know where the Kuroko house is, correct?" he asked.

"Yeah, of course I do," Hana answered immediately, raising a brow at the redhead. The others were very obviously confused.

"Then would you mind taking us?" Akashi suggested. "We know the twins aren't here. Perhaps they already headed home. If that is the case, we should just meet them there."

"But they left everything behind," Midorima pointed out. "Do you really think they went home?"

"As they aren't here, I can't think of anywhere else they would be," Akashi argued. No one could argue with that logic.

"Well…" Hana hesitated. Even if the twins had invited them, which she could still barely believe, it didn't seem right to take them to the house without the bluenettes. Not to mention she doubted their parents knew about the visit.

"_Please_, Hana-chan!" Momoi and Kise chorused, looking at her with pleading eyes. Hana thought it over for another minute before sighing.

"Fine, why not," she relented. She didn't really think the twins had gone home, but if Kuroko didn't want to be found, they weren't going to find him. Whatever he was up to, he would eventually wander home with Ayane in tow. At the very least she could enjoy some snacks at their house while she waited.

"Yay! Thank you Hana-chan!" Momoi and Kise cheered.

"Yane-chin's sweets…" Murasakibara said dreamily.

"I'll go grab Tetsu's stuff," Aomine called over his shoulder as he jogged back into the gym.

"Well then, Nobuki-san, lead the way," Akashi said with a wave of his arm and a pleased smile.

Hana started praying she would survive this experience.

* * *

><p><strong>AN<strong>: So...I guess I'm gonna start off with an apology. It has been, what, four months since the last chapter? So, yeah...I am REALLY sorry about that. I wish my updates weren't quite so sporadic. I will work on that. Now for this chapter. I have to admit, I wasn't all that big a fan of this chapter when I wrote it. It's definitely not in the usual OBM-style. But it is necessary for the story line and therefore I have grown to accept it. But there is nothing that means _you__ all_ have to accept that, especially since this isn't what I said it would be. I was planning on writing the actual visit and putting up both chapters at the same time, but...well, let's just say I like you guys too much to keep torturing you without an update. So I guess I'll put this one up for the moment and continue working on the actual visit...I am REALLY sorry, guys. But hey, look! Update! Anyway, thanks to everyone who has read/reviewed/favorited/followed up to this point, it means the world to me. And even though this chapter isn't what you were expecting, I hope you enjoy it and I'll see you next chapter!


End file.
